A good hunter must be quiet, patient and able to disappear into the surroundings. Hunters in Indiana, however, are disappearing from the sport itself.

And so is the money that funds wildlife preservation programs.

"This is a huge problem," according to John Goss, a former director of both the state's Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Wildlife Federation. "Our system and conservation relies on money from licenses and equipment sales — without it, it's a spiraling problem."

So efforts are under way to reach out to groups not typically associated with hunting including women, youth, urban residents and college students. One such surprising yet successful program: putting bows and arrows into the hands of students in schools.

The idea, according to Jack Basiger, is to recruit, retain and reactivate.

"I can't speak enough to how important recruitment is," said the coordinator for DNR's Hoosier Outdoor Heritage program. "We're very passionate about hunting in Indiana, and those three 'R's' are critical to keep it going."

Hunting takes a hit

Hunting and fishing is on the decline in Indiana, and has been for at least the last decade. As the older generation of sports men and women phases out, hunting is losing ground to the stiff competition for the attention of younger generations.

In 2006, Indiana sold more than 552,100 hunting licenses, tags and permits to both Hoosiers and non-residents across the state. Just 10 years later, that number was down to roughly 426,300, according to numbers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

That's a drop of nearly 22 percent in hunting licenses. Fishing licenses saw a drop of about 13 percent over the same period.

Those numbers have only continued to fall over the last two years, with hunting license numbers hovering just above 404,000 last year.

The issue goes back more than just a decade, however. Goss said he's been seeing the signs for the better part of 25 years.

"Generations of Hoosiers are not experiencing outdoor activities as much any more," he told IndyStar. "That changes who goes hunting, where and how often."

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Hunting is legal in Indiana. You don't need a license to hunt on land that you own or lease, if you meet certain conditions.(Photo: IndyStar file photo)

This issue is not unique to Indiana.

In fact, only 5 percent of Americans between 15 and 50 years old hunt, according to the latest Fish and Wildlife Service survey. Current Indiana Wildlife Federation Director Emily Wood expects that number to be in half by the next survey, which is taken every five years.

"Participation in the sport is declining all over the country," she said. "But in Indiana, we have people who leave Indiana to drive to other states to do their hunting."

Part of the problem, she said, is limited access to good hunting land in Indiana. It's one of the main complaints she hears.

The largest group of hunters also is getting older, said Joe Robb, director of the Big Oaks Wildlife Refuge in southern Indiana.

"That is a generation lost as time goes on," he said of the age group of hunters he sees signing up for the refuge's deer hunts. "I used to play outside from dawn to dusk, but nowadays they would be considered feral kids."

The younger generations don't have that same connection to nature, he added. As more people live and work in urban environments, the tradition that once was passed down is being left behind.

Conservation relies on hunting

The ripple effects of that dying tradition extend far beyond the hunting and fishing community.

That is because 90 percent of the agency's Fish and Wildlife budget comes from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and the corresponding federal dollars such sales bring in. Indiana currently receives about $50 for every licensed hunter and $10 for every licensed angler from federal programs.

That revenue funds both fish and wildlife conservation in Indiana as well as part of the agency's law enforcement budget to ensure conservation rules are followed.

Officers with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources are investigating the disappearances of two men in separate incidents in flooded waterways.(Photo: Provided by DNR)

In the last decade, revenue from the licenses is down from nearly $15 million to $11.6 million. And the decline impacts everyone, according to Joe Bacon, president of the Indiana Deer Hunters Association.

"Think of the birdwatchers who get to see the birds or the hikers that hike through the parks," he told IndyStar. "Without the monies to manage, control and take care of them, they are not going to be there."

The decline also can hurt communities and businesses that rely on hunting, he added, thinking of a store in his area that would be devastated without hunters.

If hunter numbers continue to decline, he said those funds are going to have to come from somewhere or someone else. Wood with the Wildlife Federation echoed those thoughts — whether that includes an increase to license fees or having Hoosiers who don't hunt but use the resources contribute, too.

"They play in the same system so they should also have to pay into it," she said. "But we need to look at the writing on the wall and understand the numbers are going down and will continue to do so, so we need to find ways to inject new revenue."

Hunting has a new face

The DNR said it is working to stem the decline by simplifying the online licensing process as well as looking into systems with multi-year or auto-renewal of licenses.

It is also reaching out to new groups, as part of its R3 program to recruit, retain and reengage. It continues to evolve its program, most recently restructuring it akin to a college course with an outline of what participants need to learn to continue the sport on their own.

Many states have similar "Learn to Hunt" programs, but Indiana hosts more such hunting events and workshops than most other states— between 50 and 60 events each year.

"That's a big commitment as an agency," Basiger said, "and is one of the things that sets us apart from other states."

The agency hosts many women's hunts, days at the range for women and Outdoor Women events. Just a few years ago, women were the fastest growing group of new hunters in Indiana, according to Basiger.

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An arrow made it close to the bullseye during archery class at Lew Wallace Elementary IPS 107, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018.(Photo: Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar)

Anita Boggs attended one of the women-focused events a few years ago. Her father and brothers hunted growing up and she had joined them a few times, but had lost touch with the sport.

Then she decided to try out a class that was being offered with some friends, and that is when she rediscovered her love of hunting.

"I love the stillness as the woods wake up and seeing all the animals moving about and interacting," she said, adding that she hunts on land she and her husband own as well as participating in both spring and fall turkey hunting. "One of my favorite parts now is being able to share it with my kids."

'The sound when it hits the target'

Indiana also was one of the innovators for youth hunts in the 1990s and to this day has the largest youth deer hunt across the country, according to Robb with Big Oaks. About 185 children participate each year, and Robb said he sees adults come in now who first were introduced to hunting at the event when they were 10.

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Ninoska Matamoros , right, and other students grab their bows for their turn to shoot during archery class at Lew Wallace Elementary IPS 107, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018.(Photo: Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar)

The national program began in Kentucky in 2002 and was first piloted in Indiana in 2005. What started with just 10 schools across the state has now grown to over 435 schools, teaching more than 70,000 students the fundamentals of archery. Indiana continues to add about 30 to 40 schools each year, with programs in every corner of the state and in rural, suburban and urban areas.

Hunting was never the main focus of the NASP program, which is for students in fourth through 12th grades.

"The goal was always to get students up and involved with outdoor activity," said Tim Beck, the director of NASP in Indiana. "But we knew that at the end of the tunnel there might be some new hunters in there, which was a bonus."

A 2017 survey of NASP participants across the country found that more than 33 percent participated in some sort of bow-hunting activity, more than 28 percent participated in small game hunting, and 37 percent tried bowfishing. As many as 35 percent bought their own archery and hunting equipment.

Several students who participate in the program at Lew Wallace Elementary School on Indianapolis' northwest side said they love the feeling of the bow in their hands and the confidence it gives them.

"Holding and shooting the bow relaxes me," said sixth-grader Francisco Barraza, who is in his second year in the program. "And the sound when it hits the target is very satisfying and exciting."

He is quite familiar with that sound, producing that resonating thud all four times he approached the line during class. It was a new sound to classmate Oluwafifunmi Adesakin, who struck the target for the first time during their Dec. 20 class.

"It was so special," said the sixth-grader. "It makes me feel powerful because it takes strength and focus."

Both said they would be interested to go to a range or try hunting in the future.

William Crawford, the physical education teacher who teaches the archery program at Lew Wallace, said he will come come to class wearing camouflage and encourage the students to pursue the sport of hunting if they're interested. Crawford himself grew up hunting and still enjoys going out with his friends.

Beck said he hopes NASP and the agency's other efforts and events will continue to grow and reach more Hoosiers.

"Programs like this can help turn the table and bring it back," he said. "I look forward to these types of efforts where we can try to make a difference and bring people back into something that is near and dear to our hearts and Indiana."